A new man
by lunea
Summary: Oliver Queen is a playboy and a womanizer, but when he meets this plain girl he is intrigued by her simple kindness. One decision will change his life forever.


***Disclaimer: I borrowed Smallville's Oliver Queen for this story, but except for the name and maybe his expressions, nothing from the Smallville universe is used in this story.***

A/N: I'm usually writing longer stories, but somehow they never get finished. I don't post unfinished stories. So I decided to try a short story, and this story popped into my head. Let me know if you like it - there might be more to come. ~A.

Ella looked around. The house was beautiful, even though it was still a mess from the party. She couldn't suppress a smile when she thought about Oliver and their conversation. It was not only astonishing, that a womanizer like him, with his looks and charm had talked to a plain girl like her, it was a little miracle. She had to remind herself, that he was probably bored and that it was all just some sort of experiment for him.

Still, they had a very nice conversation and he'd seemed to enjoy himself very much. He'd been flirting and she'd tried to keep him at a distance and the little crush just that. She really wasn't the kind of girl who could be swept off her feet by a little boyish charm. But it didn't hurt her self esteem, so…

Nobody was up, yet. She enjoyed this time of the day, the sun just started to flow in through the glass front. She got the coffee machine going and fixed her breakfast. For lack of better things to do she started to collect the dirty glasses and plates from around the room and started the clean up. She was just filling the dishwasher and thinking how this was something she usually had to do at home as well, when a voice startled her.

"Good morning."

Ella turned around to the object of her thoughts a minute before. He looked really smart in his jeans and his tanned forearms seemed to look especially beautiful, in contrast to the fashionably rolled up sleeves of his white shirt. Ella noticed relieved, that the flutter in her stomach was muted.

"Good morning," she paused, "you're up early," and she turned back to her task.

"Went to bed early. The party was a real bore after you left, so I figured, what the heck. Also, I have an audition today, so it doesn't hurt, that I look my best."

"Audition for what?" she asked, ignoring the rather boastful second part of the sentence. That was so him.

"just a small role on a new TV show." He went to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. "You do know, that Jason has a housekeeper, who usually takes care of this, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Ella, her hands full of glasses, "but I just felt like it."

Oliver snorted into his cup and leaned back on the counter. "Whatever. It's a free country; you can do what you want."

At that Ella turned around and looked at him, a slightly strange idea crossing her mind. She looked at him and smiled. But as quickly as the thought came, it was dismissed and she cast her eyes down, the smile on her lips however lingered.

"What?" asked Oliver, "what is it?"

Ella looked up innocently, "Nothing."

"I might not know you very well, but I know you this well, and that was not a nothing-look. It was a something-look. What crossed your mind just now?"

Ella's smile grew wider, but she just shrugged. It was just too weird.

Oliver seemed honestly intrigued, he wouldn't let go.

"You smiled, when I said you can do what you want."

"Maybe." Ella took a step toward him and leaned against the other side of the island counter, facing him.

"What did you want to do?" he asked, leaning forward and trying to look inquiringly. Her reaction told him right away, that this was it and he smiled his most charming and winning smile.

"What did you want to do? Was it something to do with me?

"Maybe," she said again, more mischievous this time, "but you probably couldn't handle it." Even as she said it, there was a flutter in her stomach again, but it was different. She was consciously misleading him.

"I can handle anything you do to me, I promise. Come on, I want to know."

"No, I'm not telling you. You don't trust me enough."

"Allright," he said, making a show of gathering up his courage and taking a deep breath. "You have my permission, to do whatever you want to me right now."

Deciding, that this was all the encouragement she needed, Ella went around the counter and stopped about 3 feet away from him.

"You don't know what I want to do."

"No."

"But you trust me."

"Yes."

"Completely?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

At that he started, some of the playfulness falling away from him. He seemed to honestly think about it.

"I don't know. I just do."

"What if I wanted to hurt you?"

He drew back a little. "Are you?"

She smiled. "No."

She made one step towards him and looked deep into his eyes. He was captured, didn't move.

"Close your eyes," she whispered, and after a moment he did. "Keep them closed. Don't move."

He went very still and after yet another moment, Ella took another step forward, so that they were mere inches from each other. She felt the closeness, felt the slight discomfort at the invasion of privacy, but also the thrill of not knowing.

She just stood there, very close to him and she closed her eyes as well, just breathing. Standing so close, she could smell the fresh scent of his shirt – that's what she had wanted to do at first. She breathed deep and loved how she could only smell a hint of perfume on him. After maybe half a minute, she slowly raised her hand and laid it on his chest, feeling his accelerated heartbeat. Another idea rose in her mind. He made as if to move forward.

"Don't move," she whispered again, and he stopped. She gathered her reserve and focused...

If his mind hadn't felt like it was wiped clean the moment he'd closed his eyes, he probably would have thought that this was one of the weirdest things he'd ever done. And he'd had his share of weird encounters with girls. Usually he enjoyed them. But this was new.

He did as she asked and closed his eyes. He half expected her to come up and kiss him or something, but he waited and nothing happened. She didn't even touch him. Surprised, he tried to "feel", where she was and suddenly he could. She'd moved very close, but not so close that she would touch him. He could sense her mere inches from him, but he still didn't move. He could hear her breathing silently, so close. His heartbeat accelerated, a slight thrill ran through him. What was she doing?

Everything around him seemed to come into focus, even though his eyes were closed. It was completely silent, just the occasional chirp of some bird outside and some sounds coming from the house he'd never realized before.

His hearing sense zoomed in on a movement directly before him and he felt her hand on his chest. He suddenly felt like he lost his equilibrium and the world felt like it tilted forward.

"Don't move", she whispered and he had to put an effort into staying upright. What happened next, he couldn't explain in words.

He felt like slowly he started floating, like he was lifted up and suddenly everything bad was gone. All his worries and negative experiences and the façade he'd built to protect himself. Everything, gone. But yet he wasn't afraid. He felt… loved. Complete. Whole. There was a rushing in his ears and suddenly his muscles started trembling and he felt like he might fall down any moment.

But there was someone there, holding him close, _loving _him completely, keeping him upright with the lightest of touches. He never knew how much he was loved. He felt like a little kid again, who could crawly into his mother's arms and be comforted even though he knew he had done wrong. It didn't matter, because the love was greater than the mistake. The love was greater than anything he could say or do. He was swept up and while tears were running unnoticed down his cheeks he floated down and he felt the floor under his feet again and the touch on his heart, that was Ella. The rush subsided and everything turned quiet again. The love and the warmth stayed, though.

Gasping, he stumbled backwards, leaning against the counter again and trying to make sense of what had happened. Ella stood in front of him, mute, tears running down her face. She must have felt something. She must have done something.

"What did you do?" he whispered, his chest burning, where her hand had been. He felt weak. Shivery. "What did you do?"

She stepped closer and, with a small smile lifted her hand and touched his face, wiping away – tears? Confused Oliver touched his own face, his hand came away wet.

Her hand rested on his left cheek. She looked deep into his eyes, her own eyes full of happiness and love, a few teardrops were still clinging to her eyelashes, but there was wonder in her eyes as well. She looked like she'd just witnessed a miracle.

"I prayed for you."

Oliver blinked and tried to understand what she'd said. "What?" His knees threatened to really give out and he pulled himself up to sit on the counter. His hands had almost stopped trembling but were left strangely powerless.

"I prayed for you. I asked Jesus, that he take back your heart and show you how much he loves you. And I guess he did. He showed me, too."

Her smile was dazzling. "How do you feel?"

Oliver looked away from her and down on his knees, trying to decide how he felt. When he got over the shock of his reaction and his breathing down to somewhat normal, a beautiful and very deep peace settled over him.

No old demons haunted him, no wicked thoughts crossed his mind, it was like the dark and shadowy maze that his mind used to be had been replaced by a sunlit meadow and he saw so much beauty in it. Right now he wanted nothing else ever again, just feel that love, know that he was loved. He felt like a new man, like a new start was possible for him right here, right now.

He looked back up into her eyes and saw yet more beauty.

"I feel peaceful."

She took his hand, intertwined their fingers and lifted it to her lips and kissed his hand.

"Peaceful is good." She said, smiled, and Oliver knew there was no way he was going back.

+End+


End file.
